H II regions and radio visibility of quasar nuclei

The core (injector) and the jet (relativistic plasma outflow) of AGN objects are surrounded by an ionized medium, an H II region observed in emission lines. The synchrotron radiation from the core and the jet is observed through a thin screen that cocoons the structure under consideration. The screen transparency depends on wavelength and distance from the injector. We consider the objects 3C 345 and 1803+784 whose core emission at decimeter wavelengths is absorption by more than 25 dB. The visible bright compact component is the bright nearby portion of the jet that extends outside the dense part of the screen. We explore the possibility of measuring the screen transparency from absorption in Hα recombination lines with different quantum numbers at centimeter wavelengths.     

Groundwater resources in the Jabal Al Hass region,northwest Syria: an assessment of past use and future potential

In many cases, the development of groundwater resources to boost agricultural production in dry areas has led to a continuous decline in groundwater levels; this has called into question the sustainability of such exploitation. In developing countries, limited budgets and scarce hydrological data often do not allow groundwater resources to be assessed through groundwater modeling. A case study is presented of a low-cost water-balance approach to groundwater resource assessments in a 1,550 km² semi-arid region in northwestern Syria. The past development of irrigated agriculture and its effect on the groundwater system were studied by analysis of Landsat images and long-term groundwater level changes, respectively. All components of the groundwater balance were determined. Groundwater recharge was estimated using the chloride mass balance method. Over the past three decades, groundwater levels have declined, on average, 23 m, coinciding with a two-fold increase in the groundwater-irrigated area. Groundwater resources are currently depleted by a value that lies between 9.5×10⁶ and 118×10⁶ m³ year^?1, which is larger than can be compensated for by a future decrease in natural discharge or changes in boundary conditions. However, groundwater resources are likely to be sufficient to supply domestic and livestock needs in the area.     

Hydrochemical and isotopical tracers in the lacustrine aquifer of the Cerro Prieto area, Baja California, México

A series of patterns in the chemical and isotopic composition of the groundwater of the Cerro Prieto area have been recognized. These patterns were used to define four hydrochemical and isotopical zones in the area. One of these areas located at the east side was found to be the source of recharge, while another in the central part is where an older aquifer exist in lacustrine deposits. The low permeability of the area causes the aquifer to act as an aquitard, which at least is partly surrounded by an interface zone where mixing of waters occurs. Tritium and radiocarbon method revealed that the aquitard is an isolate system whose residence time is of 32 ka.     

Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using GIS

Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using Geographical Information System (GIS) technology has been formulated as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making problem. The Delphi method and Analytical Hierarchy Process were adopted as evaluating techniques, in which experts’ judgments were analyzed for objectively estimating and weighting control factors. Seven triggering factors, depicted in the form of maps, were identified and ordered according to their priority. These factors are (1) wind energy; (2) surface sediment; (3) vegetation density; (4) land use; (5) drainage density; (6) topographic change and (7) vegetation type. The factor maps were digitized, converted to raster data and overlaid to determine their possible spatial relationships. Applying a susceptibility model, a map of sand encroachment susceptibility in Kuwait was developed. The map showed that the areas of very high and high sand encroachment susceptibility are located within the main corridor of sand pathway that coincides with the northwesterly dominant wind direction.     

Parameters of Land-Surface Processes for Gobi in North-West China

Using data from the intensive observation period (May–June 2000) of the NWC-ALIEX (The Field Experiment on Interaction between Land and Atmosphere in Arid Region of North-west China), the characteristics and mechanisms of some key land-surface process over Gobi in a typical arid region of north-west China are analyzed and several parameters of land-surface processes are calculated. The weighted mean of the surface albedo over a typical arid region of the Dunhuang Gobi is calculated using the relative reflection as a weighting factor, and its value is 0.255 ± 0.021. After removing the influence of precipitation, the mean soil heat capacity over a typical arid region of the Dunhuang Gobi is 1.12 × 10⁶ J m^-3 K^-1,which is smaller than that observed in the Heihe (China) River basin Field Experiment (HEIFE). The mean soil heat diffusivity and conductivity are about half of those observed in HEIFE.     

Influence of groundwater level change on vegetation coverage and their spatial variation in arid regions

Sampling and testing are conducted on groundwater depth and vegetation coverage in the 670 km2 of the Sangong River Basin and semi-variance function analysis is made afterwards on the data obtained by the application of geo-statistics. Results showed that the variance curve of the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage displays an exponential model. Analysis of sampling data in 2003 indicates that the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage change similarly in space in this area. The Sangong River Basin is composed of upper oasis, middle ecotone and lower sand dune. In oasis and ecotone, influenced by irrigation of the adjoining oasis, groundwater level has been raised and soil water content also increased compared with sand dune nearby, vegetation developed well. But in the lower reaches of the Sangong River Basin, because of descending of groundwater level, soil water content decreased and vegetation degenerated. From oasis to abandoned land and desert grassland, vegetation coverage and groundwater level changed greatly with significant difference respectively in spatial variation. Distinct but similar spatial variability exists among the groundwater depth and vegetation coverage in the study area, namely, the vegetation coverage decreasing (increasing) as the groundwater depth increases (decreases). This illustrates the great dependence of vegetation coverage on groundwater depth in arid regions and further implies that among the great number of factors affecting vegetation coverage in arid regions, groundwater depth turns out to be the most determinant one.     

2017年盛夏湖南持续性暴雨过程的水汽输送和收支特征分析

基于混合单粒子拉格朗日综合轨迹模式(版本4)(Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model, HYSPLIT4),利用降水观测数据、ERA5和NCEP GDAS (National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Global Data Assimilation System)再分析数据,分析2014年7月13—16日铜仁持续性暴雨过程的水汽输送、收支和各水汽源地的定量贡献。结果表明：(1)东伸的南亚高压和高低空急流的耦合作用增强了低层辐合、高层辐散的动力机制,利于水汽在目标区域辐合上升、凝结,形成降水。(2)500 hPa稳定控制贵州南部以南地区的副热带高压、短波槽和低纬印度半岛的热带气旋协同作用,建立明显的水汽输送通道,使海上的水汽源源不断地输送到暴雨区。(3)后向追踪120 h发现,暴雨区空气块主要来自阿拉伯海、孟加拉湾和南海,所处高度较低;少量空气块来自铜仁以北至欧亚大陆、大西洋,所处高度较高。(4)影响铜仁暴雨的水汽源地为铜仁以南-南海及附近岛屿和海域、印度半岛东部-孟加拉湾、阿拉伯海-印度半岛西部,水汽贡献率分别为48.29%、32.17%和10.47%,铜仁以北至欧亚大陆、大西洋的贡献率为9.07%。(5)850 hPa和700 hPa为主要的水汽输送层,为暴雨区贡献了近3/4的水汽,其余1/4水汽由500 hPa输送。

     

国内外流感监测系统的地理流行病学比较研究

流感监测系统的建立是应对流感大流行的一种极为有效的举措。为此,美国、加拿大、墨西哥、巴西、英国、欧盟、俄罗斯、澳大利亚、新西兰、中国等国家,先后都建立了自己的流感监测系统。为了提高我国流感监测系统的水平,作者选出代表性强、特色显著的美国、欧洲和我国的流感监测系统作为典型,从地理流行病学的角度,着重对流感监测及其数据分析的地理分区、流感疫情动态变化的评价标准等方面进行了比较研究。通过总结先进国家的成熟经验,结合我国的实际情况和需求,作者对我国的流感监测系统提出了改进意见。在综合考虑我国地貌特点、气候分区和管理需要的基础上,建议将现有以秦岭淮河为界划分的南、北两个地理分区,细化为黑吉辽区、京津冀鲁豫区、长江中下游区、闽粤桂琼台区、蒙甘新区、晋陕宁区、渝黔川滇区和青藏区等8个流感监测地理分区;建议将现有流感监测系统引入基于流感样病例占门诊病例百分数的基线,利用归因肺炎及流感的死亡率,计算流感季节基线和流行阈值,以客观地衡量和评价流感流行水平及其严重程度。这些研究成果,不仅对地理流行病学的发展有理论意义,而且也对流感及其他传染病的监测有实用价值。     

Magnetic Field Strengths and Structures from Radio Observations of Solar Active Regions

Radio observations of some active regions (ARs) obtained with the Nobeyama radioheliograph at λ=1.76cm are used for estimating the magnetic field strength in the upper chromosphere, based on thermal bremsstrahlung. The results are compared with the magnetic field strength in the photosphere from observations with the Solar Magnetic Field Telescope (SMFT) at Huairou Solar Observing Station of Beijing Astronomical Observatory. The difference in the magnetic field strength between the two layers seems reasonable. The solar radio maps of active regions obtained with the Nobeyama radioheliograph, both in total intensity (I-map) and in circular polarizations (V-map), are compared with the optical magnetograms obtained with the SMFT. The comparison between the radio map in circular polarization and the longitudinal photospheric magnetogram of a plage region suggest that the radio map in circular polarization is a kind of magnetogram of the upper chromosphere. The comparison of the radio map in total intensity with the photospheric vector magnetogram of an AR shows that the radio map in total intensity gives indications of magnetic loops in the corona, thus we have a method of defining the coronal magnetic structure from the radio I-maps at λ=1.76 cm. Analysing the I-maps, we identified three components: (a) a compact bright source; (b) a narrow elongated structure connecting two main magnetic islands of opposite polarities (observed in both the optical and radio magnetograms); (c) a wide, diffuse, weak component that corresponds to a wide structure in the solar active region which shows in most cases an S or a reversed S contour, which is probably due to the differential rotation of the Sun. The last two components suggest coronal loops on different spatial scales above the neutral line of the longitudinal photospheric magnetic field.